In Fear and Trembling
Starring: Mary Astor
Originally aired: 16 February 1943
Plot synopsis: A woman starts to believe that her husband is trying to poison her, so that he can instead be with her sister.
Favourite line: 'If you'll take my advice, you'll snap out of this coma, and get some pep.'
Review: The title of this episode references the Bible verse that concludes 'continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling' (Philippians 2:12). However, it isn't a spoiler to note that the main character in this story doesn't find much in the way of salvation. It's a tale about jealousy and paranoia, but - like many early Suspense episodes - is somewhat overwrought, and overplayed by many of the cast. There is also far too much narration, especially near the beginning, breaking one of the cardinal rules of drama: show, don't tell. Moreover, there's a lot of business about dreams and premonitions that doesn't really add anything to the story. Still, there is a pretty good twist in the final act, and matters resolve themselves in a way that few listeners will have guessed they would at the start.
Rating: * * *
The Invisible Ape
Starring: Larry Parks
Originally aired: 8 June 1958
Plot synopsis: A young lab technician working on a project to make invisibility a reality decides - after accidentally releasing a chimpanzee that has successfully been made invisible - to make himself invisible, in order to commit robberies with impunity.
Favourite line: 'While we are learning much about satellites flying through space, we know absolutely nothing about crockery flying across our kitchens.'
Review: It is easy to imagine this episode having been produced by X Minus One (which is very much intended as a compliment) as it is a science-fiction/fantasy tale of precisely the sort in which this series specialized. In places, too, it has the feel of a Twilight Zone episode; even some of the music is reminiscent of the classic TV anthology show. In any case, this is a clever and original take on a well-worn idea - our fascination with the idea of invisibility stretches back to at least the Ancient Greeks (Plato, for example, wrote about it in the Republic). Unlike in many older science-fiction stories, the scientist 'hero' is not a noble, selfless person, pursuing knowledge for its own sake (though it should be noted that the main character is only an assistant to the lead scientist working on the invisibility project, who does appear to be more 'high-minded'). Instead, his motives are thoroughly base - he wants to use the power of invisibility to carry out thefts, purely for personal enrichment. Even so, he remains a broadly sympathetic character, not least because there are far worse crimes one might consider perpetrating if one had the power of invisibility: as Plato discusses, rape and murder might easily be committed by the invisible, without fear of being caught, so the protagonist of this story is relatively tame in his 'immorality' (compare this to how Kevin Bacon's character behaves in Hollow Man). This means that there is a real tragic element to the conclusion, in which our hero's plans come badly unstuck, and we definitely feel for him and his plight. One criticism, though: as is often the case with the introductions provided by producer William N. Robson for later Suspense episodes, this one is pretty much superfluous. In fact, it is even somewhat misleading, as Robson gives the impression that the episode is going to focus on the phenomenon of poltergeists (which is what is being alluded to in the line I quote above), when in truth this is largely a red herring. Ignore this, though, and simply enjoy the story itself.
Rating: * * * *
It's All in Your Mind
Starring: Berry Kroeger
Originally aired: 20 July 1958
Plot synopsis: A scientist gives his wife and his best friend pills he has developed which grant them the power of telepathy, but the ability turns out to be a mixed blessing.
Favourite line: 'I couldn't stand listening to other people's troubles, their gripes, complaints, psychotic hates, the evil and filth that spawn in the minds of men.'
Review: There's a crazy introduction to this episode, in which William N. Robson, the series' producer at the time, declares that although when Suspense began (in 1942) the story we are about to hear would have seemed incredible and far-fetched, today (in 1958) a tale about pills that confer telepathic powers might no longer be considered science fiction, thanks to the remarkable march of progress. Well, I'm writing this over half a century later and, fortunately or unfortunately, such pills remain firmly within the realms of fantasy. That aside, the episode is a solid, if unexceptional, one. The main plot thread, concerning the adulterous affair between a scientist's wife and his best friend, and their plan to murder the unwanted husband, is perfectly serviceable, and could have been used in any number of more conventional crime stories that Suspense produced. Yet it is the addition of telepathy into the mix that is the story's most notable aspect, but which raises many more questions than are ever answered. One issue, for example, is that it severely stretches credibility that a scientist would so casually hand out pills to his wife and friend that give them such an amazing ability, before they have been fully tested, and when it is obvious that no one has thought through the implications. However, the main problem with listening to the episode today is that anyone who has seen or read virtually any other story about people with telepathic powers won't find the ending terribly surprising; without giving away too much, the main character discovers that there are major downsides to being constantly able to hear others' thoughts. Even so, Berry Kroeger is good in the main role, delivering his lines with real conviction, and the story is enjoyable enough, if the listener doesn't think too hard about the many implausibilities.
Rating: * * *
Ivy Is a Lovely Name
Starring: Frank Lovejoy and Joan Banks
Originally aired: 21 June 1959
[ANOTHER VERSION OF THIS STORY AIRED 2 October 1960 - UNDER THE TITLE 'Ivy Is a Lovely Name for a Girl']
Plot synopsis: A couple expecting their second child race against time to reach the hospital before the baby arrives, but they had not reckoned with the Hollywood Freeway.
Favourite line: 'You've hollered right along with the next guy about the crazy, mixed-up Hollywood Freeway system, but right now it looks great. Four wide, velvet-smooth lanes inbound, four lanes outbound, and a lovely strip divider down the middle.'
Review: Most Suspense episodes explore the very worst of human nature (traits like greed, lust and cruelty), but this episode is instead about the best. It's an uplifting tale about a caring mother, a loving father, and a resourceful son, who have to contend with a breakdown on the notoriously hellish Hollywood Freeway while rushing to the hospital as the pregnant wife enters the final stages of labour. Yet instead of descending into hostility and recriminations - well, not too much anyway - the family largely remains supportive of each other, as they try to escape their predicament. Adding to the episode's authenticity is the fact that its two stars, Frank Lovejoy and Joan Banks, were a real-life couple, and had two children of their own. The plot doesn't amount to very much - no one is robbed or killed, and there is very little real peril - but for a change of pace from the usual murder and mayhem, this episode makes for an agreeable, heart-warming listen.
Rating: * * *
Ivy Is a Lovely Name for a Girl
Starring: phil Meader
Originally aired: 2 October 1960
[ANOTHER VERSION OF THIS STORY AIRED 21 June 1959 - UNDER THE TITLE 'Ivy Is a Lovely Name']
This story was produced previously by Suspense as the episode 'Ivy Is a Lovely Name' - see the entry above for my full review.
Rating: * * *
This story was produced previously by Suspense as the episode 'Ivy Is a Lovely Name' - see the entry above for my full review.
Rating: * * *
I Won't Take a Minute
Starring: Lee Bowman
Originally aired: 6 December 1945
Plot synopsis: After a man's fiancée vanishes after going into an apartment building to deliver a package for her employer, he becomes involved in a desperate search to unravel the mystery of her disappearance. Based on a short story by Cornell Woolwich, 'Finger of Doom', first published in Detective Fiction Weekly magazine, in June 1940; and later, as 'I Won't Take a Minute', in his short-story collection The Ten Faces of Cornell Woolrich, in 1965.
Favourite line: 'She was very good to look at ... and believe me, I was gonna throw away the sales slip and not return the merchandise once it got to my house.'
Review: This is a classic piece of noir story-telling, in which an ordinary man is propelled by circumstances outside of his control into a world of crime, danger and intrigue. The episode is filled with snappy dialogue and colourful characters, especially the police detective who becomes central to solving the mystery, the kind of tough, cynical officer beloved of hardboiled crime writers. It's also very fast-paced, packing a great deal into its half-hour length (leaving the listener little time to ponder too deeply the rather implausible plotting). If there's a problem with the episode, it's that the resolution doesn't quite deliver on the promise of the build-up: the explanation as to why the perpetrators staged the whole affair is somewhat unconvincing, being a rather over-elaborate means to achieve their ends. Also disappointing is that the capture of the criminals only takes place 'offstage', rather than being presented directly. Even so, these issues don't detract too much from what remains a solidly enjoyable tale.
Rating: * * * *
[Other adaptations: Radio - Escape, as 'Finger of Doom' (1949); TV - Nash Airflyte Theatre (1950)]